Chicago Bears at Detroit Lions: Betting Guide
The Detroit Lions will look to finally get a win under their belt in one of the NFL’s best traditions: Their annual Thanksgiving home game. Dan Campbell’s team will play host to the division rival Chicago Bears as they try to get off the schneid and deliver Campbell his first win as their head coach.
Both teams are dealing with a bunch of injuries and could each be without its starting quarterback.
As expected, the NFL point spreads favor the Bears but, with the uncertainty over Justin Fields’ status, Chicago isn’t favored by much.
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Chicago Bears vs Detroit Lions Betting Lines
| Team | Point Spread | Moneyline | Over/Under |
| Chicago Bears | -3½ (-110) | -180 | o41½ (-110) |
| Detroit Lions | +3½ (-110) | +160 | u41½ (-110) |
Chicago Bears vs Detroit Lions Head to Head
The Bears have dominated the Lions during Matt Nagy’s tenure as head coach in Chicago. Since Nagy was hired before the 2018 season, the Bears have won six of their seven meetings with Detroit, including a 24-14 Week 4 win this October.
Chicago used two rushing scores from David Montgomery and one from Damien Williams to build an insurmountable 21-0 lead and held on to win and cover as three-point home favorites.
Overall, Chicago leads the head-to-head series 103-75-5.
Chicago Bears
Next game: vs. Cardinals
Last Game
Chicago couldn’t take advantage of Lamar Jackson’s absence for the Baltimore Ravens as the Bears lost 16-13 at home. Justin Fields left the game early with bruised ribs, so Andy Dalton had to fill in. He played fine — 201 yards and two touchdowns — but he completed fewer than 50 percent of his passes and the Bears didn’t get much help from their usually stout ground game. The Chicago defense did fine against Ravens backup QB Tyler Huntley but it wasn’t enough.
The Bears lost as one-point home underdogs in a game they really needed to win in order to keep their slim playoff chances alive. The under (40½ points) was never really in doubt.
Injury Report
In addition to Fields, who is questionable for Thursday, the Bears have a ton of injuries so the short week certainly doesn’t help.
Linebackers Khalil Mack (foot) and Danny Trevathan (knee) were put on season-ending injured reserve last week while cornerback Artie Burns, defensive tackle Akiem Hicks and safety Eddie Jackson all missed Sunday’s game with injuries. Cornerback Duke Shelley left early with a hamstring injury and he’s questionable.
Chicago was down a few offensive weapons, too, as wide receiver Allen Robinson II (hamstring) and running back Damien Williams (calf/knee) were inactive and could miss Thursday’s game.
Detroit Lions
Next game: vs. Vikings
Last Game
Detroit actually came close to getting its first win of the season on Sunday, losing to the Cleveland Browns 13-10 despite having to start Tim Boyle — making his first career NFL start — in place of the injured Jared Goff.
Boyle really struggled, throwing two picks and for only 77 yards, but D’Andre Swift ran for 136 yards and the Lions’ defense played well enough to keep Detroit in the game. But, Detroit couldn’t do enough offensively to overcome a 13-0 halftime deficit.
The Lions easily covered as huge 13½-point road underdogs as the under (42½ points) hit with plenty of room to spare.
Injury Report
Goff (oblique) might not be ready in time for Thursday, so Boyle could get another shot. Linebacker Trey Flowers (knee) and running back Jermar Jefferson (ankle/knee) both missed the game and are questionable. Offensive guard Halapoulivaati Vaitai (concussion), defensive end Da’Shawn Hand (groin), and cornerback AJ Parker (ankle) all got hurt against Cleveland and are also listed as questionable.
Betting on the Game
Thursday’s Turkey Day game could swing on the medical staffs. With both Fields and Goff potentially being unable to play, how they progress throughout this short week of practice is going to be incredibly important to track if you’re betting online.
It’s tough enough as is to play with a backup quarterback on a week of rest, but it’s even tougher to do so with less than four full days of rest while also playing in one of the most-watched games of the season in front of the whole country.
The spread for this game hasn’t changed since it opened at 3½ points on the BetUS Sportsbook, but look for there to be a lot of movement — in either direction — as more injury news is released throughout the week.
Even if Fields can’t go, the Bears should be fine with Dalton under center. Chicago is missing tons of key players on offense and defense, but the Bears still have a bunch of useful skill-position guys and the Lions are 30th in both scoring offense and scoring defense. So, Chicago should be able to put up points as long as Montgomery gets enough touches and Darnell Mooney gets enough targets.
If Boyle starts for the Lions, it might be difficult for Detroit to once again do anything offensively outside of getting Swift the ball as much as possible. But, considering that Goff could return, a flier bet on the Lions’ moneyline at +160 isn’t a bad choice. It’s decent value and likely would go down if Goff can play and Fields can’t, so that’s a risk possibly worth taking.
If you’re making NFL predictions, consider the under. While neither team has a good defense statistically speaking, their respective offenses — two of the four worst units in the league — are even worse, which makes it hard to imagine where 40-plus points will be coming from on Thanksgiving afternoon.
Final Score: Chicago Bears 20, Detroit Lions 17
If your plans include staying at home all day enjoying the best league in the world, don’t forget that we we also have NFL Odds for the Raiders vs Cowboys & Bills vs Saints games that you can include in your parlays or NFL Point Spreads wagers.
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